Maj. Douglas A. Zembiec, who once told reporters in the din of battle his Marines “fought like lions,” was laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery May 16. A crowd of more than a thousand gathered at the U.S. Naval Academy’s chapel to honor the fallen warrior. Zembiec was killed in action May 10, 2007. He was 34 years old.
One entry from Kapitulik's journals contained an entry he said came from Col. George Bristol. It read, “Never forget those who were killed. Never let rest those who killed them.” At times during the battle, Zembiec’s Marines tossed grenades within 20 feet of insurgents.
“My Marines have fought like lions and will continue to do so,” he said following the battle. “Ten million insurgents won’t even begin to fill the boots of one of my men.”
May the Lion of Fallujah rest in peace. Your death shall not be in vain.
Stumbled on this great video recently. This lady is awesome. She makes so many great points in this video. Good to know there are some voices like this on AlJazeera.
Transcript:
Wafa Sultan: The clash we are witnessing around the world is not a clash of religions, or a clash of civilizations. It is a clash between two opposites, between two eras. It is a clash between a mentality that belongs to the Middle Ages and another mentality that belongs to the 21st century. It is a clash between civilization and backwardness, between the civilized and the primitive, between barbarity and rationality. It is a clash between freedom and oppression, between democracy and dictatorship. It is a clash between human rights, on the one hand, and the violation of these rights, on other hand. It is a clash between those who treat women like beasts, and those who treat them like human beings. What we see today is not a clash of civilizations. Civilizations do not clash, but compete.
Host: I understand from your words that what is happening today is a clash between the culture of the West, and the backwardness and ignorance of the Muslims?
Wafa Sultan: Yes, that is what I mean.
Host: Who came up with the concept of a clash of civilizations? Was it not Samuel Huntington? It was not Bin Laden. I would like to discuss this issue, if you don't mind...
Wafa Sultan: The Muslims are the ones who began using this expression. The Muslims are the ones who began the clash of civilizations. The Prophet of Islam said: "I was ordered to fight the people until they believe in Allah and His Messenger." When the Muslims divided the people into Muslims and non-Muslims, and called to fight the others until they believe in what they themselves believe, they started this clash, and began this war. In order to stop this war, they must reexamine their Islamic books and curricula, which are full of calls for takfir and fighting the infidels.
My colleague has said that he never offends other people's beliefs. What civilization on the face of this earth allows him to call other people by names that they did not choose for themselves? Once, he calls them Ahl Al-Dhimma, another time he calls them the "People of the Book," and yet another time he compares them to apes and pigs, or he calls the Christians "those who incur Allah's wrath." Who told you that they are "People of the Book"? They are not the People of the Book, they are people of many books. All the useful scientific books that you have today are theirs, the fruit of their free and creative thinking. What gives you the right to call them "those who incur Allah's wrath," or "those who have gone astray," and then come here and say that your religion commands you to refrain from offending the beliefs of others?
I am not a Christian, a Muslim, or a Jew. I am a secular human being. I do not believe in the supernatural, but I respect others' right to believe in it.
Dr. Ibrahim Al-Khouli: Are you a heretic?
Wafa Sultan: You can say whatever you like. I am a secular human being who does not believe in the supernatural...
Dr. Ibrahim Al-Khouli: If you are a heretic, there is no point in rebuking you, since you have blasphemed against Islam, the Prophet, and the Koran...
Wafa Sultan: These are personal matters that do not concern you.
Wafa Sultan: Brother, you can believe in stones, as long as you don't throw them at me. You are free to worship whoever you want, but other people's beliefs are not your concern, whether they believe that the Messiah is God, son of Mary, or that Satan is God, son of Mary. Let people have their beliefs.
Wafa Sultan: The Jews have come from the tragedy (of the Holocaust), and forced the world to respect them, with their knowledge, not with their terror, with their work, not their crying and yelling. Humanity owes most of the discoveries and science of the 19th and 20th centuries to Jewish scientists. 15 million people, scattered throughout the world, united and won their rights through work and knowledge. We have not seen a single Jew blow himself up in a German restaurant. We have not seen a single Jew destroy a church. We have not seen a single Jew protest by killing people. The Muslims have turned three Buddha statues into rubble. We have not seen a single Buddhist burn down a Mosque, kill a Muslim, or burn down an embassy. Only the Muslims defend their beliefs by burning down churches, killing people, and destroying embassies. This path will not yield any results. The Muslims must ask themselves what they can do for humankind, before they demand that humankind respect them.
End Transcript
My way of thinking is this...if you think of yourself as a moderate, then ask yourself if there is anyone in your ideology that could be considered a scapegoat. For the leftist in America, Rebublicans are the scapegoat. For the moral majority types, it is the leftists and gays who are to blame for everything. For the Germans in 1947, it was the Jews and for the Muslim extremists, it is again the Jews and pretty much all the non-muslims and the more secular muslims. All extremism has to stop.
The greatest lesson that Buddha taught us was that the path to enlightenment was the "middle-way". If you tune the string to tight, it will break and if you tune it too low it will not sound.
People, the "string" is about to break so we had all better find the middle way before it's too late.
Mahathir Mohamad's Open Letter to American Muslims: Vote Kerry
Mahathir, the former Prime Minister of Malaysia, thinks Jews secretly run the world, and that the United States should not interfere in the affairs of other countries. But that doesn't stop him from trying to interfere in the affairs of the United States. From IslamiCity, with thanks to L:
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
In the past four years, during the Presidency of George W. Bush, the Muslims and their countries have suffered oppression and humiliation as never before in the history of Islam. There is an obvious connection between the sufferings of the Muslims and the policies and thinking of Bush.
We cannot expect much change to the policies of the United States of America towards Islam and the Muslims under Democrats as under Republicans. But we have a duty to ensure that Bush will not be able to determine our fate for four more years....
Dear Brothers and Sisters. Vote Bush out of office. It is truly an ibadah that you perform.
DR MAHATHIR BIN MOHAMAD Former Prime Minister of Malaysia, Malaysia
The list of rogue leaders endorsing Kerry has grown to include Yassir Arafat, Kim Jong Il, and the Mullahs of Iran. Way to go, Herman Munster head!
Update 10/27/04
The Army of Ansar al-Sunnah hassent out a message congratulating Abu Musab al-Zarqawi’s Tawhid and Jihad movement’s addition to the US State Department’s list of terrorist organizations, Ansar Al-Sunnah praise John Kerry for criticizing the President, imply that terrorism has struck fear into John Kerry’s heart, and that his election would signal that terrorism is working.
Special congratulations from the Ansar al-Sunnah Army to the Tawhid wal-Jihad Movement, on the occasion of its addition to the list of terrorists…..
Our congratulations should not be a surprise to anyone who understands the true nature of our Islamic religion, which is based on verses from the noble Quran and the words of the noble prophet. We are optimistic that this recent declaration by the evil Bush government (adding Zarqawi’s Tawhid and Jihad group to the list of terrorist organizations) will only bring us joy and happiness….
Praise be to Allah, it increased the joy in our hearts that John Kerry, the presidential candidate criticized the Bush governmentfor taking so long in making this declaration. The one who may be president of America [John Kerry] is already struck with terror by our brothers from the Tawheed wal-Jihad Movement [Abu Musab al-Zarqawi’s group]. The repeated atacks that have targetted the evil Bush are now echoing on Kerry, even though he is not yet a president. This is what Allah means when he commands us to ‘terrorize your enemy and the enemy of Allah.”
Silenced for 24 years under Saddam's regime and denied attention by the international media, the people of Iraq are not well understood at this tumultuous time in their history.
Meet the people of Iraq as they struggle with years of turmoil and strive to build a civil society. Hear in their own words their feelings about Saddam Hussein, the multinational invasion of their country, the presence of American troops and their hopes for what may lie ahead for Iraq.
What values do Iraqis bring to the discussion of their future? What role will women play in a new Iraq? How will Islam influence government?
VOICES OF IRAQ offers a unique opportunity to hear the diverse perspective of Iraqis on issues at the forefront of a global debate over war, terror and the prospects for democratic reform - directly from the street. VOICES OF IRAQ is a ground-breaking documentary that does what no other film or news organization has done before.
The producers of VOICES OF IRAQ distributed over 150 DIGITAL VIDEO CAMERAS across the entire country to enable everyday people - mothers, children, teachers, sheiks and even insurgents - to document their lives and their hopes amidst the upheaval of a nation being born.
Beginning amidst the Falluja uprising in April, going through the marshlands in the South, the Kurdish communities in the North and ending in September of this year, thousands of ordinary Iraqis became filmmakers to reveal the richness, complexity and emotion of their lives.
VOICES OF IRAQ is an unprecedented film. This new documentary genre offers a unique window into what is happening in Iraq. VOICES OF IRAQ has allowed Iraqis to tell their own story.
Kerry is the all-inclusive exploiter. So far he has managed to exploit lesbians, blacks, soldiers, hostages, prisoners of war, civilians in war zones and cripples. Hmmm...that's some pretty impressive stuff there. A part of me wants Kerry to win just so I don't have to hear the Dems endlessly bitch for another four years. Give them the ball and see what they can do with it. Think you can't prevent the enemy from hacking peoples heads off with diplomacy and stuff?
They can't completely destroy the country in four years...right?...however, someone could do it for them while they're crunching on granola bars or rubbing elbows with big-Hollywood important types.
File this under the Duh! Category. Information from newly discovered Iraqi intelligence documents. From CNSNews.com
CNSNews.com) - Iraqi intelligence documents, confiscated by U.S. forces and obtained by CNSNews.com, show numerous efforts by Saddam Hussein's regime to work with some of the world's most notorious terror organizations, including al Qaeda, to target Americans. They demonstrate that Saddam's government possessed mustard gas and anthrax, both considered weapons of mass destruction, in the summer of 2000, during the period in which United Nations weapons inspectors were not present in Iraq. And the papers show that Iraq trained dozens of terrorists inside its borders. One of the Iraqi memos contains an order from Saddam for his intelligence service to support terrorist attacks against Americans in Somalia. The memo was written nine months before U.S. Army Rangers were ambushed in Mogadishu by forces loyal to a warlord with alleged ties to al Qaeda.
Other memos provide a list of terrorist groups with whom Iraq had relationships and considered available for terror operations against the United States.
Among the organizations mentioned are those affiliated with Abu Musab al-Zarqawi and Ayman al-Zawahiri, two of the world's most wanted terrorists. Zarqawi is believed responsible for the kidnapping and beheading of several American civilians in Iraq and claimed responsibility for a series of deadly bombings in Iraq Sept. 30. Al-Zawahiri is the top lieutenant of al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden, allegedly helped plan the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist strikes on the U.S., and is believed to be the voice on an audio tape broadcast by Al-Jazeera television Oct. 1, calling for attacks on U.S. and British interests everywhere.
The source of the documents
A senior government official who is not a political appointee provided CNSNews.com with copies of the 42 pages of Iraqi Intelligence Service documents. The originals, some of which were hand-written and others typed, are in Arabic. CNSNews.com had the papers translated into English by two individuals separately and independent of each other.
I wish everyone in America would do a few little things for their own good to be prepared for the rough seas ahead. There will probably be like 5 people that ever read this but hey...it's my dream anyway...so here goes.
Make some time to read some of the blogs written by people on the front lines of these current conflicts. These war theaters out there are so dangerous and chaotic...there is no way we can fathom it here at home yet.. so help them out how ever you can. Check out the Soldier and Iraqi links I've got in my "recommeneded" section. You will learn a lot more by doing that than by watching mind-fuck material like that Fahrenheit 911 shit. Remember, you may have more in common with these people than you would like to in the days to come.
Don't obsess on day to day political rhetoric (especially from the opposition during political seasons) but always question authority...the opposition may still make good points (not including Michael Moore of course...with film making skills you can make anyone or anything look like Satan).
Realize that the 24 hour news networks are extremely biased (Fox News is right wing, CNN is left wing and Al Jazeera is just plain anti-jew) ... feed your brain with information from a variety of sources and take everything with a grain of salt. Alvin & Heidi Toffler wrote about the dangers and growing pervasiveness of 'cult of philosophy', years ago in their excellent book The Third Wave. Also, learn about Psychopolitical Warfare, the Stockholm Syndrome and Roy Master's other thoughts on the "hypnosis of life" because media is constantly trying to mind fuck us. Remember...propaganda is a big part of war.
This war on terror is a monumental conflict of epic proportions on an unprecedented scale...it is going to take a looooong time to win. The path is riddled with setbacks and small victories. Realize that we are effectively under Martial Law. It's being called a State of Readiness or something like that but it's Martial Law nonetheless. Deal with it because we have no choice..the enemy is unfortunately within.
Consider how this war will likely fundamentally change our way of life, cherished institutions, traditions and possibly even the fundamental aspects of being human beings. One way to get ready for this change is to start learning about some of the DOD Research being developed and futurist concepts (see my recommended futurist links). I doubt we will be able to win without mandatory military service like they do in Israel unless we have hordes of battle droids at our disposal like the republic has in star wars or some kind of other exotic weapon that can give us a significant advantage like the Active Denial System combined with human computing interfaces.
Well, there it is for what it's worth. After this entry, I'm hopefully going to start focusing more on music, art and personal experience in my future posts...if nothing else..for my own sanity in these stressful times. Anyway...my concience is clear now...plus I can say "I told you so" later ;-).
If you experience mild pain or discomfort when reading the title of this entry, you might want to check your paranoa level. Ask yourself this...is moral ambiguity working for you in your personal life? Does it help you make the rational decisions necessary to survive? Why does the backbone that Bush exhibits rub you the wrong way? You should find it reassuring, if anything. Does his hawkishness really frighten you more than the global jihad that is right at our doorstep? Tomorrow it could be your kids getting blown up in their own school like we saw today in Southern Russia. Please get behind the effort to stop this threat. We aint gonna kill 'em with kindness, folks.
Maj. Douglas A. Zembiec, who once told reporters in the din of battle his Marines “fought like lions,” was laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery May 16. A crowd of more than a thousand gathered at the U.S. Naval Academy’s chapel to honor the fallen warrior.
